Japan criticises UN finding that Nissan's Ghosn was detained unfairly
[TOKYO] Japan's justice minister on Tuesday criticised a written opinion by a United Nations panel, saying that claims that former Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn had been treated unfairly under the Japanese legal system were based on "factual errors".
In a written opinion late last week, a UN panel of human rights experts concluded that the repeated arrest of Ghosn was"fundamentally unfair" and "appears to be an abuse of process intended to ensure that he remained in custody".
"It's hugely disappointing that the opinion piece was published based on factual errors, relying only on the one-sided claims made by Ghosn and his legal team without an understanding of how our legal system works," Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kawakami said at a news briefing on Tuesday.
"The Japanese government has filed a complaint," she added, saying the government would be working with the United Nations to "correct their misunderstandings." The UN panel also urged the Japanese government to "remedy the situation of Mr Ghosn without delay".
Ghosn was charged with pocketing Nissan's funds for himself and hiding his income in late 2018. He was living in Tokyo on bail awaiting trial when he fled to Lebanon about a year later, in December 2019.
Ghosn's detention and escape to Lebanon threw Japan's legal system into the international spotlight, with critics viewing its judicial practices as overly harsh.
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
In what has been called "hostage justice" by critics, the Japanese legal systems allow detainees to be interrogated without a lawyer present, and prisoners held in custody are often refused bail if they deny charges.
Ghosn has denied any wrongdoing and says that he would have not received a fair trial in Japan. He has also claimed that he was a victim of a boardroom coup - a claim that Nissan Motor Co has denied and called baseless.
REUTERS
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Transport & Logistics
Changi Airport’s Q1 passenger movements surpass pre-pandemic levels
Toyota and Nissan pair up with Tencent and Baidu for China AI arms race
China's largest auto show displays all-electric future, local brands dominate
Toyota hits record annual output, sales on robust demand
Nissan, Mazda roll out new models for China as they aim for comeback
VinFast chief plans to invest US$1 billion more from his fortune in EV maker